


From Dead to Eternity

by trudymumpet



Category: Southern Vampire Mysteries - Charlaine Harris, True Blood
Genre: F/M, My First Fanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 04:48:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4990879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trudymumpet/pseuds/trudymumpet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is mainly based on the Sookie Stackhouse Novels, with a few details taken from the True Blood series. I decided to write this because I didn't like the future Charlaine Harris gave the characters in After Dead. This is my first time so go easy on me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Preface**  
Finally I had returned to Louisiana. And I was returning as its new king. I was shocked at how easy it had been to gain control. After the events of earlier this year in Oklahoma, I thought that at least I would be able to negotiate a visit to Area Five. But when Felipe and his men attacked, I had no choice but to fight back. Defeating Felipe was astonishingly simple, given that I was at least five hundred years older than him. After his death, most of his people surrendered. Although, I was forced to dispose of all of them. I couldn’t risk an act of vengeance in the future. That was how Victor Madden and his people had been killed. (Okay, so me and my people had been the one that had done the killing, but he had it coming.)

  
Now I was King of Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Nevada. Being the king of four kingdoms had made me the most powerful vampire in the United States. With that power came the risk of death, but all vampires had that risk. And if anyone wanted to take one of my kingdoms, all they had to do was ask. I would gladly give up Oklahoma, Arkansas, or Nevada if it meant I could keep Louisiana and protect what I cared for most in this world. Being back in Fangtasia was a little odd. Pam had certainly been doing well, and she was thriving in her role as sheriff. Since my departure, Bill’s role as area investigator had practically been nonexistent. There hadn’t been this much peace since before we had come out of the coffin.

  
Pam was in the midst of planning a party for my return. Now, I love a good party, but all I wanted was to return to my house and be alone. That, however, was impossible since Felipe had sold my house after I left. Yet another reason I was glad he was finally dead. I was supposed to be going over the guest list, but when I had come to one name, I had become distracted. I read it over and over again, but it never went away.

  
“Pam. Come here.”

  
She was out in the bar, but I knew she would hear me. She had to answer my call.

  
“Yes.” Pam said as she walked through the door.

  
“Take this name off the list.” I showed her who I was talking about, but I had a feeling she already knew who it was.

  
“Are you sure? Couldn’t we just send her an invitation? How do you know she will even want to come?”

  
“Pam, I forbid you from sending an invitation to Sookie Stackhouse.”

  
“Of course, Eric.”

* * *

 

 **Chapter One**  
It had been fourteen months of glorious silence from the vampires. So, when I saw Pam standing at my door, I have to say I wasn’t exactly excited to see her. Pam and I were friends, at least as close to friends as a vampire and a part-fae telepath can be. But, if Pam were knocking on my door at two in the morning, then there had to be trouble. I hated trouble. Especially vampire trouble. I had been about to go to bed, having worked until one-thirty. So I was also grumpy.

  
“Hello, Pam.”

  
“Hello, Sookie. I hope I didn’t wake you.” She didn’t seem too sorry.

  
“You didn’t. In fact, I was just getting ready for bed. Can this wait until tomorrow?”

  
“Actually, no. This is the only time I could get away.”

  
She seemed a little nervous. A nervous Pam is not a good sign. “Okay, come on in.” I stepped aside to let her in.

  
Pam walked to the living room and sat down on the couch. I took the armchair across from her.

  
“Can I get you some TrueBlood?”

  
“No, thanks. I won’t be staying long.”

  
That certainly peaked my interest. I waved my hand to tell her to continue.

  
“I thought you should know about some things that have been happening in the vampire world. But, I don’t know if you’ll want to hear it. It’s about Eric.”

  
My heart stopped for a millisecond. I knew this day would come. Eric must be finally dead. Why else would Pam come to talk to me about him? Although, for someone who had just lost their maker, she seemed surprisingly upbeat. I was definitely confused. I knew Pam had heard my little heart problem.

  
“Okay. What’s going on?”

  
“First of all, Eric is fine.” I let out a sigh of relief. “Actually, he’s more than fine. Almost a year ago, the Queen of Oklahoma was murdered by an ex-lover that had hoped to become her consort. In fact, he set fire to her home, trapping everyone inside including himself. He left a letter declaring his guilt. He had hoped to kill Eric as well, but, luckily, Eric was not there that night.”

  
“Wow.” So, Eric was free. For a brief moment, I wondered why I hadn’t heard from him. Pam said this had happened almost a year ago. Then I shook that thought from my head. We had parted ways, badly.

  
“There’s more. After he was declared innocent of any involvement with her death, Eric was declared King of Oklahoma.” Pam smiled. Of course she was happy, her maker was king. I guess that kind of made her a princess. I had a vision of Pam in a pink ball gown and tiara. It was actually believable, until she showed her fangs.

  
Pam could tell that I was distracted. “I’m not finished.” I quickly returned my attention back on her.

  
“About two months ago, Eric was granted a meeting with Felipe de Castro. They agreed to meet in a neutral location, Mississippi. Russell Edgington was there to make sure nothing happened. Eric was trying to get permission to come to Louisiana.” As Pam said that, my heart began to race. Was he trying to come see me?

  
“During the meeting, something happened. Eric doesn’t even know what it was, but Felipe became furious. He attacked Eric, which was very stupid of him. Eric is twice as old as him, and has way more fighting experience. Eric easily overtook him and when he would not submit, he was forced to stake him. Russell saw this whole thing and testified on Eric’s behalf. Some of Felipe’s men attacked Eric’s men, but after Felipe was killed, they stopped. After another trial, Eric was declared King of Nevada, Louisiana, and Arkansas.”

  
Pam was looking at me expectantly. I had no idea what to say. Eric was now the king of four states. My Eric. No, not my Eric. This was very disturbing. Just when I thought I had finally moved on, this happens.

  
“I don’t know what to say,” I finally said.

  
“Well, there is a party in two days to celebrate our new king. I came here tonight to invite you to come.”

  
“You want me to come to a party for Eric?”

  
“Yes, and don’t worry. Eric won’t be there. He’s in Oklahoma tying up some loose ends.”

  
“Um, okay, I’ll be there.”

  
“Great. It’s black tie, so be sure to dress appropriately. Be at Fangtasia at eight.”

  
Something was up. Pam was way too excited for me to be coming to the party. But, I decided that maybe she was just excited for Eric.

  
“Okay. Was there anything else you wanted to tell me because I really would like to go to bed now.”

  
“No, that was it. I will be leaving now. Good night, Sookie.”

  
Pam kissed me on the cheek and walked out the door. I followed her to lock up. Even though I told Pam I wanted to go to bed, I sat up for another hour thinking about what she had said. Eric had to be one of the most powerful vampires now. I didn’t know how that made me feel. I was scared for him because that made him a target. I was excited for his newfound power. I was also more aware of how close he could be to me now. That made me happy, but it also made me mad. I wasn’t mad at Eric. I was mad at myself. I shouldn’t be happy that Eric would be around. I should be furious at him.

  
After all this thinking, I began to get tired. I went to sleep thinking of the new dress I would be buying for the party. Nothing boosts your spirits like shopping.

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

I was just about to put on my shoes when I heard the car coming down the driveway. I hurried into the shoes and went out to the porch to see who it was. Hopefully it wasn’t someone who wanted to talk. I didn’t have the time for a long heart to heart. I had a party to get to. When I saw the town car, I was intrigued.

The car came to a stop and an older gentleman stepped out. "Are you Sookie Stackhouse?"

"Yes, I am."

"My name is Edgar. I was sent by Miss Pam to escort you to Fangtasia."

Well, Pam was definitely going out of her way to make sure I came to this party. 

"Oh, okay. That was very nice of her." I made sure the door was locked, and then I walked toward the car. Edgar opened the door for me, and I got inside. It was very nice.

We mostly drove in silence. Occasionally, Edgar would ask me questions and i would ask him some. I found out he was married with three children, two of which were off to college. When we got to Fangtasia, he opened my door for me and I got out.

"Thank you, Edgar. Are you going to stay here?"

"If you want me to."

"No, I could be here awhile. Why don't you go home and I can call you when I'm ready to go?"

"Okay, thank you, Miss Stackhouse."

"Please, call me Sookie. I assume Pam has your number."

"Yes, she does." 

"Okay, I'll have her call you."

"Have a good night, Sookie."

"You too, Edgar."

Edgar got back into the car and left. Part of me wished I had gotten back into that car and asked Edgar to take me home. The other part of me was practically jumping up and down in excitement. I don’t know why I was so excited. I knew Eric wasn’t going to be here. When I was getting my dress, all I could think about was what Eric would like. I kept telling myself that he wouldn’t see it. Still, I ended up buying a dress that was Eric’s favorite color. Also, all of the jewelry I was wearing were gifts from Eric. There was definitely something wrong with me.

I walked into Fangtasia and was greeted by Indira. She seemed surprised to see me, but as she was about to say something, Pam walked up to greet me.

“Sookie, you look wonderful. I love you in red.”

“Thanks, Pam. You look great, too.”

As I was talking to Pam, I noticed she began to tense up. She was looking behind me, so I assumed someone unpleasant was coming. I turned to see who it was, and nearly fainted. Luckily, Pam was there to hold me up. He didn’t look thrilled to see me. He also seemed confused.

Eric was staring at me, but I couldn’t seem to speak to him just yet. I decided to divert my attention to Pam.

“Pam, we will talk about this later.” Eric looked furious. I’m sure that wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation. “Sookie, could we talk outside?”

“Sure.” I thought it would be best to keep my words to a minimum. I was afraid of what I might say.

Eric and I walked outside. It was dark, but the lights from the parking lot allowed me to at least see where I was walking. Unfortunately, it also allowed me to see Eric’s face. I had forgotten how gorgeous he was, especially in a tux.

We walked for a few minutes, it seemed like we were both waiting for the other to speak. Eric was the first to break the silence.

“I didn’t think you were going to be here.”

“Well, Pam told me you wouldn’t be here. That’s the only reason I came.”

“I forbade her to send you an invitation. How did she invite you?”

“She came to talk to me at my house. She told me about what was happening with you.”

“Oh, so you know what happened.”

“Yes.”

We walked for a few more minutes in silence. I couldn’t believe Pam had tricked me. I also couldn’t believe she had gone behind Eric’s back like that.

“So, you know what has been happening with me. What has been going on in your life? Are you with Sam?”

I stopped walking. I couldn’t believe that was his first question. I looked at him for a minute and noticed that behind the tough exterior, there was pain. He was preparing for my answer.

“Actually, no. Sam got married about six months ago.”

That was not the answer he was expecting. I saw a light in his eyes that I hadn’t seen since before everything that had happened with the Queen of Oklahoma. He was happy.

“I thought that you would have gone to him when I left.”

“Well, to tell you the truth, we did get together right after you left, but it only lasted a couple of days.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. Do you really care, Eric? Isn’t it enough to know we aren’t together?”

“Yes, it is. What else has happened?”

We started walking again. I was a little angry about his reaction to me and Sam. “Nothing really. It’s been really quiet. I kind of felt bad for Karin being out in my woods every night, but at least she had some company.” I smiled at the thought of Karin and Bill. I didn’t know how Eric felt about his child being with Bill, but I was happy for them. I only hoped that it would last. Vampire relationships don’t usually last that long, but they had been together for about two months and all was well. I looked over at Eric and he seemed pleased that Karin was happy, or maybe it was because Bill wasn’t with me.

“Oh, I own Merlotte’s now. Sam sold me his share of the bar and bought a diner in town.” This shocked Eric. He definitely wasn’t prepared for that.

“What? You own Merlotte’s?”

“Yeah, for almost a year now. It’s been great.”

We walked for a while in silence. I don’t think Eric knew how to process all this new information. Before any more soul shattering revelations could come about, Karin came outside.

“Eric, Pam says you are needed inside.”

“Okay, I’ll be in in a minute.”

She turned to go back inside and Eric turned to look at me.

“Sookie, I would like to talk to you some more. Will you stay until everyone leaves?”

“Sure, Eric.”

He took my arm in his and walked me back inside. When we got inside, he went to find Pam and I went to sit in an empty booth. I really didn’t want to be around people. Why had I agreed to wait here all night? I didn’t want to think about the answer to that question. I don’t know why I was so surprised that he was here. Hadn’t I known, at least subconsciously, that he would be here? Why else would I have picked this dress or worn all this jewelry?

I wasn’t alone for long. Soon after I sat down, Bill and Karin came to sit with me. Luckily there weren’t many humans here so I could let down my guard. When I felt the numbing pulse that was a vampire’s mind, I relaxed instantly.

“Sookie, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Bill. Thanks. I could use a drink though.”

“I’ll get you something.”

Bill got up to go to the bar. I was still a little uncomfortable being alone with Karin, but since she had been with Bill, she had become friendlier. I had gotten to know her a little when she was watching over me from my woods. It was actually surprising how much Pam, Karin, and I had in common. Eric definitely had a type.

“I’m sorry you are feeling uncomfortable. I don’t know how Pam got you here. She was forbidden from sending you an invitation.”

“She came to talk to me at my house a couple days ago.”

“So you know everything that has happened?”

“Yes. She told me. You must be excited for Eric."

“Of course. He is my maker. When he is happy, I am happy.”

She said it so matter-of-factly that I resisted from telling a joke. That was just how Karin was. I was glad that Bill had returned with my drink. As he sat down, Pam came over to join us. I wasn’t too thrilled to see her at the moment. I was still mad at her.

“I’m sorry I lied to you Sookie. I knew it was the only way to get you here.”

“Why would you even want me here? Especially after Eric told you not to invite me.”

“I think you know the answer to that.”

The way she stared at me scared me. Not that I was frightened that she would hurt me, more that she could tell how I was feeling. That worried me because I wasn’t even sure how I felt.

We all sat there in silence. Some might find that uncomfortable, but after hearing what everyone thinks every day, I enjoy the silence that comes with vampires. After some time, Eric got up to speak. I tried not to look him in the eyes. I was afraid of what might happen if I did.

“Thank you all for coming. This is a great time for Louisiana, Arkansas, Nevada, and Oklahoma. It’s times like these that you find out who you can truly call a friend. I’m pleased to say that I can call all of you my friends.”

As he said that, I could feel his eyes on me. I looked up to see him staring at me for a second.

“Enjoy the rest of your night.”

He smiled and I nearly fainted again. It was hard to adjust to seeing him again. After Eric’s speech, Pam and Karin drifted around the crowd. Bill stayed with me. I was glad he was there because I really didn’t want to talk to anyone. I could tell that everyone was wondering why I was there. The band began to play music and people started dancing.

“Would you like to dance?”

“Sure, Bill. Thanks.”

If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s dancing. I love to dance. Bill took me out to the dance floor and we glided across the floor. It felt nice to be dancing with him again.

“Are you sure Karin won’t mind that we’re dancing?”

“No, she knows how uncomfortable you are here and she has to talk to everyone anyway.”

I glanced over Bill’s shoulder to see Karin talking to Eric.

“Thanks, Bill.”

“For what?”

“Just for being here. I don’t know if I could handle it if I was alone.”

“I’m sure you would be fine, Sookie. You’re one of the strongest women I know.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. The song ended and the band shifted to a slower song. As the song began, I noticed Eric approaching.

“Can I cut in?”

Bill looked at me and I nodded my head to tell him it was okay. He bowed slightly and Eric took my hand and waist.

“You look happy.”

“I am happy. At least I think that I’m happy. You seem happy too, Eric. I didn’t think you wanted this much power.”

“I didn’t think I wanted this either, but it’s nice not to have to answer to anyone.”

“I know what you mean. It’s nice to be the boss.”

We both smiled and Eric twirled me around the dance floor. When the song ended, he walked me to my booth and kissed my hand, and then went back to his guests. It was nice to be normal with him again. I was also glad that the party was almost over. After everyone had left, Eric came to sit across from me at the booth.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Yes, Pam sure knows how to throw a party.”

“Yes, she does.”

He was smiling, but I could tell that he was still mad at her.

“Listen, I know you want to talk, but I’m exhausted.” (A perfectly good excuse, but, in reality, I didn’t know how much longer I would be able to resist him.) “Do you think we could talk tomorrow night?”

“Of course, Sookie. We could meet at your house after dark.”

“Actually, I was thinking we could meet at Merlotte’s. Is that okay?”

“Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“Thanks. Could you have Pam call the driver?”

“I’ll tell her. Good night, Sookie.”

“Good night, Eric.”

I went outside to wait for Edgar to arrive. It was a little cool out, but I couldn’t stand to be that close to Eric anymore. Edgar finally arrived and I got in the car to go home. When we got to my house, I went in and got undressed. My head had barely touched the pillow before I fell asleep. Unfortunately, I dreamt of Eric that whole night.

* * *

 


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up late the next day. That was one of the consequences of hanging with vampires. I knew I had to get up and shower. I was supposed to talk to Eric tonight, and I had some errands I had to get done before. I had taken the whole day off from work because I had a feeling I wouldn’t be up to it. As I was getting out of the shower, I heard someone knock on the front door and let themselves in.

            “Sookie, are you home?”

            It was Tara. I was actually excited she had stopped by. I needed someone to talk to about my Eric problem.

            “I’m just getting dressed. Go on into the kitchen and fix yourself a drink.”

            I threw on my clothes and went to the kitchen for some coffee.

            “So why are you just getting up? Did you have a late night?”

            She had a twinkle in her eye. I could tell she was hoping that I had had a date.

            “Actually, I went to a party last night. At Fangtasia.”

            Her face dropped when I said that. Tara wasn’t the biggest fan of vampires, but she knew not to say anything to me.

            “Really? I thought you didn’t go there anymore.”

            “I don’t, but Pam came to invite me and I thought it would be nice to get out of the house.”

            “So what kind of party was it?”

            “Well, it was more of a celebration. I would tell you more, but I’m not sure how much you want to hear.”

            “Why don’t we go to lunch and you can tell me the parts I _do_ want to hear about?”

            “Okay, that sounds great. Let me just get my purse. Could we take two cars? I have some errands I have to run after.”

            “Sure.”

            I finished my coffee and grabbed my purse. As I was following Tara’s car, all I could think about was Eric. I thought that I had gotten over him, but obviously that was not the case. Hopefully Tara could help me with this. She had always been able to help me when I talked to her about Eric. It seemed like she was the only one who understood. I think that deep down she still thought she owed him for saving her from Mickey. We pulled into Crawdad’s Diner and my stomach dropped. Why did she have to pick Sam’s place? I only hoped he wasn’t working so he couldn’t hear what we were talking about.

            Tara and I walked into Crawdad’s and I saw Sam standing behind the counter. Great.

            “Hey, Sookie. Hey, Tara. Just sit anywhere.”

            “Thanks, Sam,” I said nervously. Tara was oblivious to my mood.

            The waitress came over and took our orders. I was afraid to say anything to Tara. I knew Sam would hear us.

            “Okay, Sookie. Spill.”

            “Tara, Sam can hear us,” I said as quietly as possible.

            “Oh, sorry Sook. I didn’t think about that.”

            “It’s okay. He’ll probably find out eventually anyway.”

            “Okay, so what are you so worried about him finding out?”

            “Eric’s back.”

            That got the reaction I was hoping for.

            “What!?”

            “Yeah, things have changed in the vampire world, and he’s got some more power now, so he came back to Louisiana. That was who the party was for last night. Pam told me he wasn’t going to be there, and he definitely didn’t think I was going to be there. It was kind of awkward at first, but it was nice at the end. I told him we could talk tonight at Merlotte’s.”

            I waited a minute to see if she was going to yell at me. I was also waiting to see if Sam was going to come over. When I looked at him, I noticed that he was trying to look busy, filling salt shakers that were already full. That was going to be an awkward conversation.

            “So, Eric’s back in town and you’re going to talk to him? Are you sure you want to do that? I know you say you’re over him, but I can tell you’re not. I just don’t want you rushing into something.”

            “Tara, we’re just going to talk. That’s why I told him to meet me at Merlotte’s.”

            “Sookie, you can’t lie to me. You may be able to lie to yourself, but I see right through that. Just be careful.”

            “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were the telepath.”

            I smiled, anxiously. Tara smiled back and put her hand over mine.

            “I know you loved him, and I’m pretty sure he loved you, too. But, before you jump back into something, just remember what happened at the end. You two have some serious issues to get through.”

            “Thanks, Tara. I really needed to talk to someone about this. I knew you wouldn’t judge me.”

            “Hey, who am I to judge you? I’ve definitely made some bad relationship decisions and you were always there for me, no matter what.”

            I paid for our lunch. It was the least I could do after what she had done for me. I could tell that Sam wanted to talk, but I just couldn’t deal with that right now. Tara and I walked out together and got into our cars. I waved to her as we separated and went on to do my errands. It felt nice to get back to my normal routine. I really didn’t want to think about tonight.

* * *

 

I arrived at Merlotte’s just before dark. I parked in the employee parking lot and walked through the back door. It was still weird to walk into Merlotte’s and know I owned the place. I stopped in my office to grab some papers and shoved them in my purse. As I walked out, I spotted Kennedy behind the bar.

            “Hey, Sookie. I thought you weren’t working tonight.”

            “I’m not. Just meeting someone here. Been busy?”

            “Yeah, I think we’re going to have to order some things soon.”

            “Okay, we’ll get together tomorrow and go over it.”

            “Okay, sounds good.”

            I found an empty booth in the corner and sat down. I ordered a drink and waited for Eric. As soon as it was dark he walked in the bar. Everyone turned to look at him. I heard that some people were shocked to see him walking in here, but others didn’t even remember who he was. He saw me and walked over. Kennedy eyed me suspiciously, but I ignored her. Soon after Eric sat down, Bill walked in. He looked over at me, and I tried to look as calm as I could. He seemed satisfied and sat down at his usual table. I decided I should turn my attention to Eric. He didn’t like being ignored.

            “Hello, Eric. How are you?”

            “I’m fine, Sookie. Thank you for agreeing to talk to me tonight.”

            “Sure, would you like some TrueBlood?”

            “Yes, actually. Thank you.”

            I waved for An to come over. Luckily she didn’t really know Eric, so she didn’t ask any questions.

            “Can I get you something?” she asked Eric.

            “TrueBlood please. O positive.”

            I tried to hold back my smile. That was my blood type.

            “Coming right up.”

            We sat there in silence until An returned with Eric’s drink.

            “Thank you.”

            He took a sip and set it back down. He was obviously waiting for me to start talking.

            “So, what’s it like to be back?”

            “It’s great, actually. Although, I wish I didn’t have to stay with Pam. She can be pretty strict with her house rules.”

            “Why aren’t you staying at your house?”

            “Felipe sold it after I left.”

            “I didn’t know he could do that.”

            “Neither did I, but apparently that was part of the deal that Freyda had made with him.”

            When he said her name, something inside of me wanted to claw his eyes out. But, when I noticed that he could barely say it without breaking something, I calmed down.

            “Oh, well, I guess you’re glad to be out. I’m surprised you don’t have a bodyguard. Being the King can be pretty dangerous.”

            “Who says I don’t have a bodyguard?” He said with a smirk. I looked around, but I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Then, I saw Karin walk in and sit with Bill. Even though they were together, I didn’t see her here that often. Usually she was busy working at Fangtasia. Bill didn’t seem surprised she was there, so maybe they were both serving as bodyguards tonight.

            “Ah, I see.”

            “Yes, I am very well protected. Now, maybe we can have that talk.”

            “Okay, what did you want to talk about?”

            “Well, us, or at least the possibility of us.”

            “I don’t know, Eric.”

            “Sookie, I know that things ended badly, but I was hoping that we could move on from that and go back to the way things were before.”

            I was growing more furious every second. Things ended badly? Move on? Go back to before? Would it really be that easy for him? As I sensed my anger building, I realized that this was not a good place to start screaming at him. This was my business.

            “Look, Eric. I don’t know if that’s something I can do, and I’m starting to get really angry. I don’t want to start screaming at you in my bar, so I think we should just drop it for now and talk about this some other time. Good night.”

            He looked like he was about to say something, but I just got up and went out the back door. I got into my car as fast as possible and was driving down my driveway before I could talk myself into turning around. As I was locking the back door, I heard someone knocking on my front door. Before I could even open it up, I knew who it had to be. I hadn’t heard a car coming.

            “Eric, I don’t really want to talk to you right now,” I said as I opened the door.

            “Sookie, please just let me in so we can talk.”

            I had forgotten that I had rescinded his invitation. I stepped back a little from the door.

            “No, I think it would be best if you stayed out there.”

            “Okay, but would you just listen to what I have to say.”

            “Go on.”

            “I’m sorry about everything that happened. I never wanted to hurt you. Everything I did was to protect you. I knew Freyda would have killed you to get me to leave with her. What she didn’t realize was that if she had killed you, I would have met the sun the very next day. There were so many times I thought about doing it in Oklahoma. I couldn’t stand the thought of you with someone else. I wasn’t even allowed to ask about you when I talked to Pam. Everything I did was monitored. I’m just lucky I wasn’t in the house the night she was killed. I was planning on sneaking into Louisiana to check up on you.”

            That pushed me over the edge. The thought of him wanting to kill himself had enraged me. Why should he get the satisfaction of death when he was the one that had done the leaving? Then, to have the gall to want to check up on me, like I belonged to him. Without my better judgment, I stepped out onto the porch and slapped him across the face.

            He didn’t seem too upset, but he wasn’t happy either.

            “Don’t ever say that to me again. I never want to hear you talking about killing yourself. I can’t imagine living in a world that didn’t have you in it. And how dare you have the nerve to want to check up on me. I don’t belong to you. You made it quite clear how you felt about me when you chose to leave me.”

            I stood there staring at him for a minute, willing him to disagree with me, fight with me. But, what he did instead surprised me.

            “You’re right. I’m sorry, Sookie. Maybe this was a bad idea.”

            What was going on? Eric never admitted he was wrong. Before I could stop myself, I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. It felt so good to touch him again. When I realized what I was doing, I pushed him away.

            “No. No, you left me. I should be furious with you. I should hate you. I should never want to see you again. I shouldn’t still love you.”

            I looked into his eyes. I thought I could see a little red in the corners.

            “I still love you too, Sookie. I never stopped loving you.”

            Those five words erased all the anger inside of me. I wrapped my arms around him and started kissing. It was as if we had never been apart. I started backing towards the door, pulling him with me.

            “Come in,” I said, and he picked me up and walked through the door towards my room.

            He set me down when we reached the bed. He took his shirt off and I pushed him onto the bed. I took off my shirt while he took off his pants. I was surprised to see that he wasn’t wearing any underwear. Shocked and excited. He pulled me toward him and started taking off my pants. He pulled my underwear off with my pants and started kissing my stomach. It felt so great to be in his arms again. I pushed him back on the bed more and he took off my bra. Luckily, it was warm enough to stay on top of the sheets. I didn’t think I could wait that long.

            I got on top of him and he started rubbing his hands all over me. It was like he had ten hands. Suddenly Eric flipped me over and was on top of me, about to enter.

            “Lover,” he said softly, and pushed.

            I shrieked a little, and he started to move faster. I was getting closer and closer. Eric’s fangs were on my neck, and as much as I wanted him to do it, I didn’t want people to see it.

            “Not the neck,” I said hoarsely.

            Then he lowered his mouth to my shoulder and bit. I was floating. He finished at the same time as me and rolled onto his back.

            “That was amazing,” Eric said, rolling over to put his hand on my stomach.

            I looked over at him, and waves of love rolled through me. I leaned over and kissed him.

            “I love you.”

            “I love you, too.”

            We lay there a few minutes, staring into each other’s eyes, until I had to get up to go to the bathroom.

            “I’ll be right back.”

            “Okay, take your time,” he said, watching my every move.

            I smiled at the darkness and went into the bathroom. While I was washing my hands, I heard Eric moving around.

            “Sookie, why is there a rock under your nightstand?”

            Oh crap. I really hoped he couldn’t smell old blood, but I knew that he probably could. Before I could get the door open, he already had the drawer of my nightstand open. Double crap.

            “Why do you have a bullet _inside_ your nightstand?”

            I walked over to the bed and sat down.

            “Well, that’s the bullet I sucked out of your chest in Dallas.” He looked at me curiously. “And that was the rock Mickey threw at you through the window.” His eyes got bigger. “And if you look in there some more, there’s the picture you sent me from your calendar shoot, and probably a bunch more stuff.” I dropped my head. I really didn’t want to see his reaction. He probably thought I was crazy.

            He reached over and lifted my head with his finger.

            “You kept all this stuff. Why?”

            “They reminded me of you.”

            He smiled and pulled me closer to him.

            “You must think I’m crazy.”

            “I still have the clothes you bought me when I was under the witch’s spell.”

            “Really?”

            “And the cloak from the night we shared blood in Rhodes.”

            That was surprising since that had also been the only thing that had kept him from burning in the sun. Also, I didn’t really like to think about that day.

            “Then I guess that means we’re both crazy.” I smiled at him.

            We got under the covers and just held each other for a while. It was getting closer to daylight. My heart hurt at the thought of him leaving.

            “I guess you have to leave soon.”

            “Do you still have the day place I made?”

            “Yeah, but won’t people start wondering where you are?”

            “Let me just make a phone call. I’ll be right back.”

            He got up and started toward the living room. It was nice watching him leave. Eric’s butt was definitely one of his best features. And as he walked back into my room, I got a great view of another one of his best features.

            “What?” he said, as he got into bed.

            I hadn’t realized I was smiling. “Nothing.”

            He grinned, knowingly. “I told Pam I would not be back tonight.”

            “Did you tell her you were with me?” I hoped he hadn’t because I really didn’t want it out in the open. Not just yet. We definitely still needed to talk.

            “I told her I was at Bill’s. And I gave Bill instructions not to tell anyone where I was. I didn’t think you would want everyone to know just yet.”

            “Thank you. There are some people I need to tell myself. And we still have to talk.”

            “Okay, we can talk when I get up. Do you have to work tomorrow night?”

            “No, I’m working during the day. I’ll probably be home before you wake up.”

            “Great. So, we can talk and then maybe you will come to Fangtasia with me?”

            “Sure, Eric.”

            “Good. Now, no more talking. We only have an hour until I have to go to ground.”

            His smile grew and so did something else. The next hour was probably one of the greatest hours of my life. It was amazing to be with him again. And it wasn’t just the sex (although, I have to admit that it was a HUGE part of my happiness); it was also just being close to someone again. I fell asleep peacefully in Eric’s arms.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke the next morning feeling very satisfied. Although I was still a little confused over my feelings for Eric, I have to admit it felt nice to be with him again. Even though I had broken the blood bond we had shared, being around him still made me remarkably happier.

            After basking in my great mood for a few minutes, I got up to get ready for work. I was in my kitchen eating breakfast, when I heard a knock on the back door. It was obviously someone I knew (only strangers knocked on the front door), so I shouted for them to come in. I was a little surprised to see Sam walking into my kitchen.

            “Hey, Sam. What’s up?” I said, as nonchalantly as possible. I was praying that he couldn’t sense that Eric was here, and also that Eric wasn’t somehow awake sensing Sam in my house.

            “Well, Sook, you ran out of the diner before I could get a chance to talk to you yesterday, so I thought I’d stop by.”

            He looked at me suspiciously, and I could tell he wanted to know what was going on. I decided to tell him the absolute minimum of what he needed to know.

            “Sorry about that, I had some errands to run. Plus, I had to be at the bar last night for a meeting.”

            “I heard about that. So, Eric’s back in town?” He said accusingly.

            “Yep, I was at a party at Fangtasia a couple nights ago and I saw him there. We didn’t get a chance to talk so he asked to meet me last night,” I said, trying to make it sound like it was no big deal. Unfortunately, Sam knew me well enough to know when something was up.

            “Uh huh. What aren’t you telling me?”

            “Um, well, it involves some vampire politics that I’m not quite sure you want to get involved with.”

            “Tell me,” he demanded.

            “Okay. Pam stopped by a few days ago to fill me in on what had been happening. This is all I know so far. About a year ago, Freyda, that’s the Queen of Oklahoma that Eric was married to, was killed by a jealous ex-lover, along with all of her followers. Eric was spared because he happened to not be in the house that night. After her death, Eric became the King of Oklahoma and requested a meeting with Felipe to arrange entry into Louisiana. But, something happened, I’m not exactly sure what, and Felipe attacked Eric. Eric killed Felipe, in front of neutral witnesses, and later was granted Nevada, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Pam came to tell me all of this and invite me to a party being thrown in his honor. She told me Eric would not be there, so I decided to go. He didn’t know I would be coming, because he had forbidden Pam from sending an invitation. So, nonetheless, it was a bit of an awkward encounter. We talked for a little bit and I agreed to meet him last night to talk some more. But, I got angry and I left. The end.”

            I looked at him carefully, hoping he would be satisfied with what I told him and drop the conversation. Finally, I saw the weight fall from his shoulders as he let out the breath he had been holding while I was talking.

            “Wow. That’s a lot to take in,” he said. He looked me in the eyes, probably trying to tell if I was telling the truth. Luckily, he was not a telepath, because inside I was frantic, but outside I tried to be cool as a cucumber, and apparently I had succeeded.

            “Are you going to see him again?”

            “I don’t know. I think I might have to. We didn’t exactly get to finish our conversation and it seems as though he might be sticking around for awhile.”

            Sam pondered my last statement, and it looked as though he had a response, but he changed his mind and held his tongue. Unfortunately, I was a telepath, and although I could not hear shifters as clearly as humans, I could tell what he was thinking. Let’s just say I was hoping to delay any meeting between Sam and Eric.

            “Sorry to sort of rush you out of the house Sam, but I have to get to work.”

            “No problem, Sookie. I should be heading back to work, too. See you around.”

            He gave me a hug and left. Great, now I was going to have to take a shower before Eric woke up. I didn’t want to think about what he might do if he smelled Sam on me. I had a feeling that Sam had done it on purpose just to piss Eric off. Oh well, I didn’t have time to shower again, I was already late for work. It’s not very responsible for the boss to be late. I hurried out the door and jumped in my car.

* * *

Work was pretty slow that day. We had a bit of a rush at lunch, but then it had died down again. I was glad I wouldn’t be working that night. I had a feeling everybody would be talking about Eric.

            As I was driving home, I tried to figure out what my feelings for Eric were. I knew that I loved him. Deep down I had never stopped loving him. But, he had hurt me when he left. I knew I had to decide if that was something I could get over. I have to admit, the fact that Freyda was dead did make me feel a little better. Actually, a lot better. I only wish I could have been the one to do it.

            I had some time before Eric would wake up, so I made myself some dinner and watched Jeopardy. By the time I was finishing my dishes, the sun was just about to set. I went into the guest room and waited. As soon as the sun set, I opened the door to Eric’s day place and climbed down. It had been awhile since I had come down here. After Sam and I had broken up, I had come down once, but it was too depressing so I left and hadn’t been back since.

            No matter how many times I had seen it, watching a vampire wake up was just something you couldn’t get used to. As Eric sat up, I noticed that he was naked, his blanket strategically covering everything. He seemed a little surprised to see me.

            “Sookie, what are you doing here? How long have you been down here?”

            “Only a few seconds. I just wanted to see if you were awake.”

            “Oh, well do you want to join me?” he said seductively, patting the bed.

            “Thanks for the offer, but we really do need to talk. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” I started back up the ladder but stopped midway. “Oh, and could you please put some pants on. It’s very distracting.”

            He smiled, and I noticed his fangs were out a little. I hurried back up the ladder and went to the kitchen to heat up some TrueBlood. I was just setting it on the table when Eric walked in.

            “Thanks,” he said, grabbing the bottle and taking a big swig.

            “So, there are some things we need to talk about before I decide whether we could ever get back together.”

            He seemed confused about what I had said. “I thought we already were back together.”

            “Why? Because of last night?”

            He sat there quietly, but I knew his answer.

            “Eric, last night was great. I mean, absolutely fantastic,” I said, and he smiled. “But I’m not sure what it means. I’ve been trying to sort out my feelings all day.”

            “What have you come up with?”

            “I love you, Eric.” He looked as though he was going to say something, so I held up my hand to stop him. “I’m not finished. I love you. I really do. And I don’t think anything will ever change that. I just don’t know if I can ever trust you again.”

            “Trust me? Do you think I would ever do anything to harm you?” He looked affronted.

            “Physically, no. But, I don’t think I could take it if you left me again,” I said, making sure not to look him in the eye. “I think you need to know exactly what happened after you left.”

            “Tell me.”

            “Well, at first I was okay. I mean, I wasn’t skipping around. I was sad, I cried, I ate a lot of ice cream, I got angry. Normal breakup stuff. But, after a couple of days, I received a letter in the mail. It was a wedding announcement. From Freyda.” I carefully looked at him to gauge his reaction. He was furious. If Freyda hadn’t already been dead, one look from Eric would have done the job.

            “Sookie, I’m so sorry. I had no idea that she did that.”

            “Please, just let me finish.”

            “Of course. Go on.”

            “Okay, where was I? Oh, the announcement. Well, seeing it kind of pushed me over the edge. I started drinking. A lot. I would wake up and not know what I had done the night before. And then one night, I was at Merlotte’s. It was my night off, and I had almost finished a bottle of scotch. Sam came over and told me I needed to stop, but I didn’t listen. The next morning I woke up, and I had blacked out at Sam’s. He told me that I needed to stop. So, that day I went and talked to a therapist. She helped me stop drinking, and for the first time in a long time, she helped me say the one thing I hadn’t been able to say without being stone cold drunk.”            

            “What?”

            “Your name.” I looked at him, tears in my eyes, and I knew this would hurt him. And knowing that he would be in pain, hurt me.

            “Sookie, I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe I put you in so much pain. I – ” He stopped abruptly, and left the kitchen. I followed him into the guest room.

            “Eric, don’t put this all on you. I have to take some of the blame. I mean, I practically pushed you away.”

            “No, I pushed you away. I never should have allowed Appius to make that contract. I never should have agreed to honor it after he was killed.” He took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes. “If there is one thing I have learned from all this, it’s that I never want to be parted from you again. Hold on, I have to get something.”

            He disappeared into his day place, and I stood there glued in place. This was a side of Eric I had never seen before. He was back in a second, and I noticed he had a small box in his hands.

            “Sookie, I know we have a lot of work to do before we can ever be what we used to be. But, I don’t want to wait anymore. This is something I should have done long ago.” He bent down on one knee, and I nearly fainted.

            “Sookie Stackhouse, will you marry me?” He opened the box, and out shone the most gorgeous ring I had ever seen.

            I looked into his eyes and said, “Yes.” I knew that this might end up being the craziest thing I would ever do, but I knew I would never regret it.


	5. Chapter 5

The moment after I said yes is the happiest I have ever seen Eric. The smile on his face was blinding. He slipped the ring on my finger and pulled me in for a kiss.

            “I love you, Sookie.”

            “I love you, too.”

            I looked down at the ring on my finger. It was gorgeous, of course. It also looked really expensive. It was oval and red. I had a feeling it might be a ruby, but I couldn’t be sure. It appeared to be floating, and there were small diamonds where it attached to the band.

            “Do you like it?” he said, staring at me expectantly.

            “Yes, it’s beautiful.” _And it probably costs more than everything I own put together_ , I added silently. But I knew if I mentioned the cost, it would just upset Eric. He liked to give gifts and spend money. It was just something I was going to have to get used to. Again. Suddenly, a thought came to me. I was unsure how to approach it with Eric. I decided to just put it out there.

            “Listen, Eric, do you think we could keep this between us for now?” I anxiously looked at his face, trying to determine his mood. He looked hurt. I had only seen Eric look hurt once before, and that was a time I didn’t like to think about.

            “Why? Are you ashamed of me?”

            “No, it’s nothing like that. I just want to tell a few people myself, before they hear about it from someone else. And it’s kind of late to make house calls.”

            “Oh, I guess that would be okay.”

            “Thank you. So, what do you want to do tonight?” I looked at him, suggestively.

            “Sookie, you know I would love to, but I need to go to Fangtasia tonight.”

            “Oh, okay.” I tried not to look disappointed.

            “Would you like to come with me?”

            “Sure,” I answered quickly, then, remembering my earlier request, I added, “but I don’t think we should show up together.”

            “You’re right. I have to stop at Pam’s to change anyway.”

            “I should probably change, too.” I said, looking at my own clothes. I was still wearing my work outfit.

            I started walking toward my bedroom, Eric on my heels. I felt Eric freeze behind me before I heard the knock on the door. We looked at each other, and I indicated to Eric that he should hide upstairs. When I got to the door, I looked through the peephole and saw Bill on the other side. Great. This was exactly what I needed right now.

            I took a few deep breaths to calm myself, and reached out to open the door. As I was turning the knob, I noticed the ring on my finger. Damn, it was too late to hide it. Bill would have noticed the doorknob turning. So, instead I just kept my hand on the other side of the door.

            “Hello, Bill.”

            “Good evening, Sookie. I hope I’m not disturbing anything.” He looked around suspiciously. I made sure to keep the door closed just enough so he wouldn’t be able to come in.

            “No, I was just about to change. What can I do for you?” I had to be careful with my word choices. Even if Bill hadn’t had my blood, as a vampire, he would be able to tell if I was lying.

            “Actually, I was wondering if you had seen Eric tonight. Pam called me and said he hadn’t been home yet.”

            “Yeah, I saw him earlier. He said he wanted to finish what we started last night and then he asked me if I would join him at Fangtasia.” There, that was all true.

            “Okay. There’s something else I need to ask you, but I’m afraid you might take it the wrong way.”

            Uh oh. What was Bill thinking? “Shoot.”

            “Did Eric come here last night after you left Merlotte’s?”

            “Yes, he stopped by. We talked for a minute and then I slapped him.”

            “Oh, well, I’m guessing he didn’t sleep here last night, then.”

            “He didn’t stay with you?” I said, trying to sound believable.

            “No. He told me to tell Pam he was with me, but then he left. He must have slept in the ground. After what you’ve told me, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

            Bill looked at me then and for a second I thought he could tell I was lying. But he just gave me a little bow of his head and said, “Well, good night, Sookie. Perhaps I will see you at Fangtasia later.”

            “Good night, Bill,” I said, shutting the door as he turned around. As soon as the door closed, Eric was behind me. I turned around and he was about to speak when I put my hand over his mouth. I listened for Bill, and as soon as he was out of my range I dropped my hand.

            “Is he gone?” Eric said, understanding what I had been doing. I nodded. “I should probably get going then. He’ll be calling Pam, and I should probably already be home by now.”

            “Okay, I’m going to change and then I’ll be on my way.”

            He leaned down to kiss me and whispered in my ear, “See you later, lover.”

            His words sent chills down my spine. I stepped aside so he could go out the door and I watched as he shot into the sky as soon as he was off the steps. It was still remarkable to me, even though I had seen it so many times before.

            I went into my room, and after deciding I should dress as unremarkably as possible, I pulled on some jeans, a nice polka-dot sweater, and some black flats. I threw on some fresh lip gloss, a little blush, and pulled my hair into a ponytail. I looked like I could be running to the grocery store. Perfect. I put my phone, some money, and my ID into my small black purse and headed for the back door, grabbing my keys on the way.

            As I walked into the kitchen, a knock on the front door made me jump. Who could it be this time? I turned and headed for the front door. Once again, I noticed the ring on my finger as I was opening the door. I kept forgetting it was there. It wasn’t until I had already turned the knob, that I realized I hadn’t checked to see who it was. I sent out my other sense and picked up a Were. That should be okay.

            When I saw who it was, I nearly jumped again.

            “Alcide?”

            “Hi, Sookie. Were you leaving?” he said, noticing my purse.

            “Yeah, actually, I was just on my way out. What can I do for you?”

            “Well, I have some business I would like to discuss with you, but if you’re heading out, I don’t want to keep you. Do you think we could talk sometime this week?”

            “Oh, sure, no problem. When would be good for you?”

            “How about Thursday? One o’clock? Does that work for you?”

            “Sure, I’ll be at work, but we can talk in the office.”

            “Okay, I’ll see you then. Good night, Sook.”

            “Night, Alcide.”

            He walked away and I shut the door with the most puzzled look on my face. I went out to my car and made my way to Shreveport. Luckily, the trip is short and I’ve made it many times, because Alcide’s visit had rattled me. I hadn’t seen him in years. We had drifted apart after he became packmaster. Plus, I couldn’t for the life of me think of the business he would want to discuss. Maybe he wanted to use my gift for something. I had done it before for the vampires, but that had been when I was dating one of them.

            I pulled into Fangtasia and decided I should go through the main entrance. As I turned my car off, I once again noticed the ring on my finger. I quickly took it off and stuck it in the glove box. It would be a lot easier once everyone knew.

            Walking toward the door, I noticed that Indira was working. I was glad to see someone I knew. It would make it easier to get in.

            “Sookie?”

            “Hello, Indira. Eric asked me to stop by tonight.” I made sure to phrase it just right so she would have to let me in.

            “Okay, go on in.”

            I started to get some money out when she stopped me.

            “No charge.” And for a brief – and I mean very brief – second, I thought I saw her smile at me.

            I thanked her and headed inside.

            Pam was waiting for me when I walked in. Indira must have somehow told her I was here.

            “Sookie. It’s good to see you so soon.”

            Pam hugged me, and I hugged her back. No matter what happened, I knew I could count Pam as a friend, which made lying to her that much harder.

            “Hi, Pam. I’m here to see Eric. Is he here?”

            “He’s in my office, making phone calls. I’ll take you.”

            “Thanks, Pam.”

            The good thing about Pam is that she doesn’t ask questions. She led me to the office in silence. Pam knocked on the door, and I heard a deep voice say, “Come.”

            Pam opened the door, but was blocking me from entering.

            “I have Sookie here to see you,” she said.

            “Let her in.”

            Pam stepped to the side and I walked into the office. It had been a long time since I had been there, and Pam had redecorated when she took over. It definitely looked like Pam. I went to sit on the couch while Eric walked over to Pam.

            “Hold my calls and don’t let anyone in here,” Eric said to Pam. He closed the door and bolted it shut. Turning to me he said, “Hello, lover,” and came to sit next to me.

            “Eric, can’t they hear us?” I said, motioning to the vampires in the bar.

            “No, the music is too loud, and the office is fairly soundproof.”

            “Good,” I said, and pulled him closer so I could kiss him. He happily kissed back and pulled me onto his lap. When we finally came up for breath, or should I say, I came up for breath, I noticed Eric had that look in his eyes and his fangs were out a little.

            “Eric, we can’t. Not here. I don’t care how soundproof this office is.”

            “Fine. But, someday soon, my lover, I will have you here,” he said, with a gleam in his eye.

            I had to laugh at that, and although I made no motion to leave his lap, I could tell he agreed with me.

            “We should probably go out to the bar. If we stay in here to long, people will talk.”

            “What people?” Eric said.

            “Well, Pam, mostly. Especially after those instructions you gave her,” I said, looking at him knowingly.

            “Okay.” He stood up, still holding me, and set me down gently. Holding my hand, we walked to the door and he unlocked it. Before he could open it, I turned to him and pulled him down to me so I could kiss him. He looked at me questioningly.

            “That should hold you over until tomorrow,” I said, winking at him, and I opened the door and walked out, Eric still gaping behind me.


	6. Chapter 6

Fangtasia never changed. No matter how many times I came here, it always looked the same. Same pathetic fangbangers. Same bored vamps. Same warning signs on the walls. But this time, something felt different. I looked to my right and saw Eric, and I realized what was different. I had changed so much in the past couple of years, and now my life would be changing even more.

            Eric led the way to a booth in a dark corner. As soon as we sat down, a waiter came to take our order. They definitely knew to keep the boss happy.

            “TrueBlood. O neg,” Eric ordered and I couldn’t control my smirk.

            The waiter turned to me, being polite only because I was with Eric.

            “Just water, please.” I smiled at the waiter, and she turned quickly to leave, careful not to look Eric in the eyes.

            We were silent while we waited for our drinks. Being apart may not have affected our feelings for each other, but it definitely impacted our social skills. Not that Eric was Mr. Social to begin with. After Eric had nearly finished his TrueBlood, he finally opened his mouth to say something.

            “Did I tell you how beautiful you look?” Eric said with that look in his eye.

            “Eric! Someone might hear you.”

            “Sookie, do you honestly think anyone here cares about what’s going on between us?”

            “Yes, a couple of them might,” I said, after noticing a couple out of the corner of my eye.

            “Like who?” Eric was completely oblivious to their arrival.

            “Like Bill.” I nodded toward the entrance, where Bill was standing with Karin, obviously looking for Eric. Eric turned to look and caught Bill’s eye. I got increasingly nervous as Bill and Karin made their way toward our table.

            “Hello, Eric. Sookie.” Bill nodded hello to me.

            “Hi, Bill. Hi, Karin.”

            “Have a seat,” Eric said, and I slid closer to Eric so Bill and Karin could sit. I was starting to think Eric did this on purpose so I would be closer to him. Not that I was complaining. I felt Eric’s hand move closer to mine, so that we were holding hands under the table. I felt like I was in middle school. I just hoped that I wasn’t blushing.

            “We have some news,” Bill said. “We discovered that Felipe never actually sold your house. He gave it to someone who worked for him.”

            Eric seemed confused. “Then why can’t I get in? All of Felipe’s people are dead.”

            “She’s human and still alive,” Karin said, and I didn’t really like the way she said it.

            “So what do we do now?”

            “Apparently, she didn’t even know that Felipe was dead. Once we explained the situation to her, she quickly signed the deed and began to pack her things. I got the impression that Felipe had something on her. She’ll be gone tonight.”

            “What about my furniture? Pam was able to get some of the smaller things, but a lot of it got left behind.”

            “It’s still there.”

            “Good. That’s great, actually. Why don’t you and Karin take the night off? You’ve definitely earned it.”

            “But, won’t you need us?”

            “I’ll be fine, Karin. No one will try anything here. Besides, Pam’s here.”

            Karin nodded, but she didn’t seem too thrilled with the idea. She and Bill got up to leave.

            “Good night, Sookie,” Bill said, and I got the feeling he knew something was up. I moved slightly away from Eric, and he let go of my hand.

            “Good night, Bill.”

            As soon as Bill and Karin were gone, I peeked at Eric. Luckily, he seemed alright, but I could tell something was on his mind.

            “What?”

            “Is Bill one of the people you need to talk to about us?” He said, bluntly.

            “Yes.”

            “Why didn’t you say something while he was here?”

            “This is hardly the place to tell him, and I think it would be best if we were alone when I told him.”

            “Okay. Who else is on your list?”

            I could tell he was looking for someone specific, and I had an idea who it was.

            “Well, Jason, of course. Tara. And Sam.”

            “That’s what I thought. When will you tell them?”

            “Tomorrow.”

            “Good. I don’t think I can keep my hands off of you too long.”

            That sent chills all over my body.

            “As soon as you tell Bill, would you call me? If Pam finds out from someone else, she’ll be furious. It’ll be bad enough that she wasn’t the first to know.”

            I looked over at Pam, and felt a little guilty. She had a huge part in getting us back together.

            “Do you think if Pam hadn’t ignored your orders and invited me to that party, that I would even be sitting here right now?” I asked him.

            “Maybe. It would only have been a matter of time before I showed up on your doorstep.”

            “Yeah, but I may not have been so inviting.”

            “Well, then we’re lucky Pam is so nosy.” He said, with a smile on his face.

            “Oh, I wanted to ask you something,” I said. Eric waited, expectantly. “Is there anything going on with the Weres that I should know about?”

            Eric was definitely not expecting that. “No. Not that I can think of. Why?”

            “I had a visitor after you left. Alcide.”

            “What did he want?” Eric didn’t seem too happy.

            “He said he had business he wanted to discuss with me. And when he noticed I was on my way out, he suggested we speak later. I thought you might have an idea of what he might want to discuss.”

            “I have been gone. There may be something I have missed.”

            The reminder of his departure was not a happy one, but I brushed it aside and he motioned for Pam to come over.

            She slid into the booth across from Eric.

            “Yes, Eric.”

            “Pam, is there something I should know concerning the Weres? More specifically, Alcide?”

            Pam looked at me questioningly, then answered, “No. I haven’t heard anything.”

            “Okay. Thank you, Pam. You may go now.”

            “I’ll be in my office if you need me any further.”

            She left, leaving me even more confused about Alcide’s visit. If the vampires didn’t know anything, then this could be something very bad.

            After the Alcide conversation, Eric wasn’t in a very social mood, and neither was I. It was getting late, and I needed to drive back to Bon Temps.

            “Listen, Eric. I think I should go. I have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

            “I’ll walk you out.”

            We walked out of the bar together, careful not to get too close. Once we were encased in darkness, Eric reached over and took my hand. I tried to walk as slowly as possible, to delay our inevitable goodbyes. Eventually, though, we arrived at my car. I turned to look at Eric and he pressed me to the door, still holding my hand.

            “Are you sure you don’t want to stay at my place? It seems that I have my house back.”

            That sounded very tempting. “Sorry, Eric. I really want to. You don’t know how much I want to, but I need to get up early.”

            “Okay, but why don’t you stop by tomorrow? After you speak to Bill.”

            “You won’t be too busy?”

            “I’m never too busy for you, lover.”

            This was a new Eric that I was starting to like. The old Eric always put work first.

            “Okay, I’ll stop by tomorrow night.”

            “I’m looking forward to it,” he said, and leaned in to kiss me.

            It took all of my strength to push him away, gently, and get in my car to leave. As I was driving away, I reached into the glove box and got out my ring. I hadn’t realized how naked my finger had felt. I also took a second to congratulate myself on getting out of there with all my clothes on.

            By the time I got home I was exhausted. My head had barely touched my pillow and I was asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning I woke up before my alarm. I quickly called Jason and asked him to come over before jumping in the shower. As I was drying my hair, I heard the back door open.

            “Sookie?” Jason called from the kitchen.

            “I’ll be right out. Why don’t you make some coffee?” This would definitely be easier with some caffeine in my system.

            Jason was pouring the coffee as I walked into the kitchen, and I sat in front of one of the mugs, making sure to keep my hands under the table. After a few sips, Jason asked, “So what’s so important that I had to rush over here before work?”

            “I have some news.”

            “Is this about Eric? I heard he was in Merlotte’s the other night.” Jason didn’t seem too pleased about Eric’s return.

            “Yes, Eric’s back,” I said, carefully studying Jason’s reaction.

            “So what’s going on?”

            “Eric and I are back together.” I quickly spat out. Jason froze.

            “Are you sure that’s such a good idea? Have you forgotten what happened the last time he left?” Jason stared at me pointedly. I decided to sidestep his jab and continue.

            “There’s more.”

            “More? What else could there be?”

            “Eric asked me to marry him and I said yes.”

            The look on Jason’s face was priceless. After what felt like hours, finally he said, “Well, Sook, I’m not gonna act like I’m thrilled because you know he’s not my favorite person. But if you think he’ll make you happy, I’m not gonna stand in your way.”

            I let out a deep sigh. I hadn’t even realized I had been holding my breath.

            “Thanks, Jase. That means a lot to me.”

            “Have you told anyone else?”

            “No, I wanted to tell you first.”

            “You know he really should have asked for my permission first,” he said with a smirk.

            “I’m glad he didn’t because you probably would have said no and then who knows what would’ve happened.”

            “Well, let’s see the ring.”

            I pulled my hand out from under the table and handed it to Jason. His mouth nearly hit the table when he saw the ring. After regaining his composure he let out a whistle in appreciation. “At least he’s got good taste.”

            “Listen, could you not mention this to anyone? I still need to tell a few people.”

            “Sure, Sookie. Mum’s the word.”

            After finishing his coffee, he left, leaving me to process the conversation. It went pretty well, but then again, Jason was going to be the easiest to tell. I walked over to the phone and called Tara. She answered on the third ring.

            “Hello,” she said, quietly.

            “Hey, Tara, it’s Sookie.”

            “Hi, Sook. Is everything okay? You don’t usually call this early.”

            “Yeah, sorry. I hope I didn’t wake the kids.”

            “You didn’t. What’s up?”

            “I was wondering if I could stop by on my way to work. There’s something I have to tell you and I’d rather do it in person.”

            She was quiet for a second, then said, “Okay. I’ll see you in a few.”

            “Okay. Bye.”

            “Bye,” she said, then hung up.

* * *

 

The drive to Tara’s house was the most stressful drive I have ever had. As I walked to her door, I took a few steadying breaths. I knocked on the door and braced myself for her reaction.

            “Hey, Sook. What’s up?”

            “I have something to tell you.”

            “Okay. You wanna come in?”

            “Um, why don’t we stay out here? I don’t wanna wake the kids.”

            “Okay. Shoot.”

            “Eric and I got back together.”

            “Sookie, I – ”

            “I’m not finished,” I said, interrupting her. “Eric asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”

            Tara was quiet for a moment. “Listen, Sook. I’m not sure what you want me to say. I know you love him. I also remember what happened when he left. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.” I tried to interject, but she quieted me with a glare and continued. “But, Eric saved me from Mickey, and I’ll always be grateful for that. If you’re happy, then I’m happy for you.”

            I could tell Tara meant what she said, and I hugged her tight.

            “Thank you, Tara. That means so much to me.”

            “You’re welcome, Sookie.”

            “I have to get to work. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

            “Okay. Bye, Sookie.”

            “Good bye, Tara.”

            I left Tara’s in a pretty good mood. But, as I pulled into Sam’s diner, a sense of dread filled me. I walked up to the bar where Sam was filling salt shakers.

            “Morning, Sookie.”

            “Hey, Sam. Could we talk?”

            “Sure.”

            “Outside?”

            He looked at me, skeptically, then followed me out the door. Since I was so nervous, I wasn’t doing a very good job of keeping my shields up. But, since Sam was a shifter, it shouldn’t have been a problem. He was thinking so intensely, though, it was like he was yelling right at me. _Eric Eric Eric Eric_ was all I could really make out, along with a tidal wave of rage and hate. I turned on the spot and stared at him.

            “Yes.”

            Luckily, he knew what I meant, and I didn’t have to explain.

            “Sookie, how could you do this? Especially after what happened last time.”

            “We’re getting married,” I said, suddenly. I thought it would be best to get this over with as soon as possible.

            Sam seemed to have lost his ability to speak. Also, I seemed to have lost all my patience with him. I got in my car and drove away, Sam staring at me all the way down the road. I knew I would have to deal with him eventually. Merlotte’s suddenly felt like a haven. As I burrowed into my office, I felt a wave of relaxation come over me. Kennedy came in before her shift to go over some inventory.

            “Can you stick around a little later tonight, Kennedy? I have to leave early to run an errand.”

            “Sure, Sookie.”

            “Thanks.”

* * *

The rest of the day passed in relative silence. A silence I was definitely grateful for. I was mentally (and emotionally) preparing myself for my conversation with Bill. I left Merlotte’s just before dark, and was pulling up to Bill’s house just as the sun was setting. I went to wait for him on his porch. I knew he would sense me there. I stood watching the sunset, my back to his door. Almost as soon as it went under, Bill was standing beside me. It was still amazing to me how Bill and I had settled into a comfortable ease with each other. I had a feeling it had to do with Karin.

            “Eric and I are back together,” I said, practically throwing it away.

            “I know.”

            That surprised me. I turned to look at him. “How?”

            “I’m not an idiot, Sookie. I know he stayed with you the other night. Plus, you both seem exponentially happier.”

            I considered that. Was I so unhappy before, that my newfound happiness would be that apparent? I didn’t think so. Probably only Bill, who had had my blood, could tell.

            I took a deep breath. “We’re getting married.”

            Bill looked at me, surprise practically etched into his never-changing face. He was very quiet. A quiet vampire was usually not a good thing, in my experience.

            “Say something, please.”

            “Are you sure about this?”

            “Yes, I love him.”

            “I know you do. And, I know he loves you. He makes you happy. I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it. But, he’s also caused you great pain.” He grabbed my hand then and held it. “I will always care about you.”

            I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, but I didn’t want to cry in front of Bill.

            “Thank you, Bill. You mean a lot to me. I can see you are happy, and it makes me happy. I’m glad you’ve finally found someone. I hope that we can always be friends.”

            “As long as you are safe and happy, I will stand by any decision you make.”

            I smiled, and gave Bill a quick kiss on the cheek.

            “I need to go. Eric is expecting me, but I wanted you to hear the news from me.”

            “Thank you, Sookie. That was very considerate of you. We’ll talk soon.”

            “Bye, Bill.”

            I walked to my car, feeling better than I had all day. As I drove down the road to my house, I thought about how perfect everything was turning out. Isn’t that the worse thing you can do? It always leads to doom. I just didn’t know it yet.


End file.
